This invention relates to an oral stimulator for pressing various points, a jaw articulation, or the like from inside the mouth for various treatment.
In oriental medicine, there has been known that there are a plurality of points on the face as shown in FIG. 18 and the patient can be recovered from various indisposition by stimulating a particular point with a needle or moxa.
For example, by stimulating points C called xe2x80x9cGeikouxe2x80x9d at the middles between the middle points of the outer peripheries A, A of the nosewings and the nasolabial folds (folds on opposite sides of the nose), B, B, olfaction abnormalities, nasal congestion and the like can be cured. Symptoms of nasitis can be cured by stimulating points D called xe2x80x9cBiryuxe2x80x9d at the middle points of straight lines joining the nostril, the nasal septum columella and the nosewing or points E called xe2x80x9cSanshouxe2x80x9d at the middle points of the nasolabial folds below the xe2x80x9cGeikowxe2x80x9d points. Further by stimulating points F called xe2x80x9cKoryouxe2x80x9d at 3 cm outward from the nosewings, symptoms of nasal catarrh, trigeminal neuralgia and facial paralysis can be lightened.
Further, as shown in FIG. 19, there are points inside the mouth. In the oriental medicine, there is treatment in which the points in the mouth are pricked with a needle or with a fleam to cause bleeding at the points. For example, when you roll upward the tip of the tongue and nip the tongue between your upper and lower front teeth, you can find two veins on the back side of the tongue. By stimulating a point G called xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d on the left vein or a point H called xe2x80x9cGyokuekixe2x80x9d on the right vein, swelling or pain of the tongue or symptom of aphasia can be lightened.
When you open the mouth wide with your right and left hands applied to your right and left jaw articulations, you can feel parts which move largely. When you suffer from an articular disease at the jaw or symptom of bruxism, the inside of the parts is stiff and there is observed strain of muscles. In such a case, by pressing the jaw articulation rearward upward from behind the root of the upper and lower teeth with a finger, strain of the affected part is lightened, whereby various feelings of physical disorder such as a feeling that the jaws are wobbly, a feeling of oppression and feeling a pain when biting strongly can be lightened.
Since it is impossible to successfully press the xe2x80x9cGeikouxe2x80x9d point, xe2x80x9cKoryouxe2x80x9d point and the like from the surface of the face and at the same time it is impossible to press them long from the surface of the face, conventionally stimulation of such a point has to depend on a specialist. Similarly it is impossible to press the jaw articulation with a finger for a long time from the inside of the mouth, stimulation of the jaw articulation conventionally has to depend on a specialist. Further, since the xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d point and the xe2x80x9cGyokuekixe2x80x9d point are sensitive to pain, stimulation of the xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d point and the xe2x80x9cGyokuekixe2x80x9d point with a needle has not been performed in the past.
In view of the foregoing observations and description, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an oral stimulator which makes it feasible to easily stimulate, without depending on a specialist, various points or the jaw articulation without involving a sharp pain so that various remedial values can be expected.
The oral stimulator in accordance with the present invention comprises a mounting portion which is mounted on at least a part of the teeth and a pressing portion which is integrally fixed to the mounting portion so that it can press an affected part to be pressed for treatment from inside the mouth in a state where the mounting portion is mounted on the teeth.
The affected part to be pressed for treatment is a part such as a point, an articulation and the like pressing on which is expected to be effective for treatment.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is shaped to be mounted on at least a part of the upper teeth and the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press upward the xe2x80x9cGeikouxe2x80x9d point, the xe2x80x9cBiryuxe2x80x9d point, the xe2x80x9cSanshouxe2x80x9d point or the xe2x80x9cKoryouxe2x80x9d point from inside the upper lip or the cheek. In another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is shaped to be mounted on at least a part of the lower teeth and the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press upward the xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d point or the xe2x80x9cGyokuekixe2x80x9d point from inside the lower jaw. The pressing portion may be shaped to be able to press points other than those described above. In still another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is shaped to be mounted on at least a part of the upper teeth and the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press upward the jaw articulation from inside the mouth.
The mounting portion may be shaped to be mounted on only a front portion of the upper teeth or only a back portion of the lower teeth. In this case, it is preferred that the mounting portion be able to be softened by hot water so that it can be folded to conform to the shape of the teeth.
The mounting portion may be shaped like a mouthpiece. The term xe2x80x9cmouthpiecexe2x80x9d as used herein means a mouthpiece which is used to protect the teeth and/or the inside of the mouth in contact sports such as football, boxing or the like and is mounted on the whole upper teeth or the whole lower teeth.
Though the mounting portion and the pressing portion can be formed by one-piece molding, they may be separately formed of heat-resistant materials and the pressing portion may be fixed to the mounting portion at its base portion.
The tip of the pressing portion may be shaped like a ball. A permanent magnet or a mineral (e.g., amethyst) may be attached to the tip of the pressing portion.
This invention has found the fact that olfaction abnormalities, nasal catarrh and the like can be cured by pressing points on the face such as xe2x80x9cGeikouxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cKoryouxe2x80x9d even from inside the mouth, that pressing can be employed to stimulate points such as xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d which are sensitive to pain, and that the effect of movement massage can be obtained by pressing the affected part with a tool and has invented an oral stimulator for this purpose.
Since the oral stimulator of this invention comprises a pressing portion which can press an affected part and is integrally fixed to a mounting portion, anybody can easily and effectively stimulate from inside the mouth an affected part near the mouth for the purpose of various remedial values by only mounting the oral stimulator of this invention on the teeth. Further the oral stimulator of this invention is preferable also from the viewpoint of beauty since it does not leave no traces of treatment on the face unlike moxa treatment.
When the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press upward the xe2x80x9cGeikouxe2x80x9d point from inside the upper lip, olfaction abnormalities, symptoms of running nose due to cold or hay fever, nasal congestion and the like can be cured. It is especially effective to hay fever.
When the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press the xe2x80x9cBiryuxe2x80x9d point or the xe2x80x9cSanshouxe2x80x9d point, symptoms of nasitis can be lightened, and when the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press the xe2x80x9cKoryouxe2x80x9d point, symptoms of nasal catarrh, trigeminal neuralgia and facial paralysis can be lightened. When the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press the xe2x80x9cKinshinxe2x80x9d point or the xe2x80x9cGyokuekixe2x80x9d point, swelling or pain of the tongue or symptom of aphasia can be lightened without causing sharp pain and without insanitary affect. The pressing portion may be shaped to press other points in the mouth. In this case, different remedial values can be effected according to the points to be pressed.
When the pressing portion is shaped to be able to press the jaw articulation behind the root of the upper and lower teeth, anybody can easily and effectively press the jaw articulation to obtain a finger-pressure cure effect and continue movement massage for a long time as will be described later, whereby strain of the affected part is lightened and various feelings of physical disorder can be lightened.
When the mounting portion is shaped to be mounted on only a front portion of the upper teeth or only a back portion of the lower teeth, the overall size of the oral stimulator of the present invention can be very small and accordingly the sense of incompatibility which one feels when the oral stimulator is mounted in his or her mouth can be minimized. Especially when the mounting portion and the pressing portion are formed by one-piece molding, production of the oral stimulator is facilitated. When the mounting portion is able to be softened by hot water so that it can be folded to conform to the shape of the teeth, the mounting portion can be deformed to conform to a front portion of the upper teeth or a back portion of the lower teeth of anybody, the oral stimulator can be stably mounted in the mouth.
When the mounting portion is like a mouthpiece, the oral stimulator can be supported by the whole jaws and can be more stably supported, and at the same time, the strength of stimulation can be controlled by controlling the manner of setting the upper and lower teeth and/or the manner of getting in and out the tongue.
When the tip of the pressing portion is shaped like a ball, stimulation can be lightened, when a permanent magnet is attached to the tip of the pressing portion, the remedial values can be enhanced and when a mineral (e.g., amethyst) is attached to the tip of the pressing portion, the remedial values can be enhanced by a wave effect of the mineral.